Best Midfielder—Bastian Schweinsteiger

Another German, and another whose age belies how long he has played at the pinnacle of football.

Schweinsteiger was always known as a decent wide man, but he came into his own when he was moved into the middle of the field at his club Bayern Munich. The same change as happened at international level to the same effect.

In the last couple of months, Schweinsteiger has shown that he is turning into a proper midfield general. He puts in hard tackles without being dirty, while he also gets involved in the creative side of the game.

He was virtually impeccable for Germany throughout their stay in South Africa.